Chronicles of an Ontario Birder: The Big #350

The Big #350

I’ve been meaning to write a post for a bit now, but things have been rather hectic on the bird front!

It started off last Saturday, when a Townsend’s Warbler was found visiting a bird bath in Rondeau at the Mcarthur's house. It was first seen several times in the morning, then it disappeared for a few hours before being seen by some local birders around 3pm.

I was just finishing up a day of bird banding with Alessandra in Haldimand County when it was posted, and immediately started driving west. We arrived at the yard around 5:30 and began the stakeout of the birdbath, along with a crowd of gathered birders. The diversity of birds visiting this small bath was impressive, 13 warbler species including a few late ones like Cape May, Magnolia and Tennessee. Pretty crazy for October! We waited there until sunset, but the warbler we were hoping for never reappeared. I wasn’t overly surprised, as the park is massive, and warblers move around a lot… but still rather disappointing.

- Tennessee Warbler

- Gray-cheeked Thrush

- Cape may, Blackpoll, Yellow-rumped

I was considering going back the next day, but my hopes weren’t that high that the bird would be refound. Instead, I opted to lakewatch at Ipperwash Beach in Lambton County, since the winds were decent that day. The idea was that since Ipperwash is only an hour away from Rondeau, it would be easy enough to drive over if the warbler resurfaced. Large numbers of ducks were moving, and I had seen two distant jaegers (past the horizon and too far to identify) in the first half hour of being there… then I got the message. Ezra had seen the warbler again at the bird bath in Rondeau. No problem, I drove over and began me vigil at the backyard around noon. 6 hours passed…. No bird. Despair began to set in.

The following day I returned at sunrise with William Konze, since the past two days the bird had been seen in the morning. It was a colder day this time and only 5 warbler species visited the bath while we were there. It began raining too, a damp October rain that soaks the coldness into your bones. We left around 1pm, dejected and without a Townsend’s Warbler on our lists. After another few days of no sightings, I assumed the bird was gone, or at least done visiting the yard.

I returned back to Bruce for a few days, since the forecast wasn’t that promising, and I had some stuff to pick up (plus I miss my home county!). Nothing was found for the first two days I was there, lulling me into a false sense of security. Then on Saturday morning I woke up and looked at my phone…. The warbler was just seen at the bird bath again. My sanity was slowly slipping away : )

I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about driving all the way back to Rondeau again, but I also really wanted this bird… so I said goodbye to my folks and headed back south again. This time the warbler was seen consistently all afternoon, foraging in an oak tree beside its favoured backyard. Hopes were high! On my way to the park I stopped briefly and picked up a Cattle Egret for the list. One of the easiest chases I’ve done this year, I literally saw it as I was driving up to the spot… a small field with some cattle (fitting). I was confident I’d see this species, but getting it out of the way was nice nonetheless.

- Cattle Egret

- Natural habitat

Back in the park. Two birders, apparently the only remaining ones there, were just leaving as I pulled up. They had seen it 5 minutes ago! I rushed to the yard and began madly scanning trees. 5 minutes passed, then 15. Dark thoughts began creeping in… oh god, will I really miss it a 4th time?! And by 5 minutes too?? I walked further back into the yard to scan some distant trees, then I heard Alessandra call my name. She had the bird! I frantically looked where she was pointing, then saw the small yellowish warbler hop down into the bath. This was definitely the most effort I’ve put into seeing one bird this year… the relief was immense. My 350th bird of the year!

Pics are a bit crummy due to screwed up settings... but check out the deformed bill.

- Townsend's Warbler

The following day a Red Phalarope was found at Van Wagner's Beach in the evening, so I rushed down and enjoyed some distant scope views as it foraged out on the lake.... 351, check!